Building construction and means for wiring alpha building



April 1932- J. H. YOUNG 1,855,082

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION AND MEANS FOR WIRING A BUILDING Filed Aug. 26,1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 April 19, 1932. J. H. YOUNG 1,855,082

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION AND MEANS FOR WIRING A BUILDING Laoa/ diva/3- End.

44 O m g a 4 a 7 zve7c0 7- elaborate special wiring atented Apr. v19,1932 JAMES HO'WARD YOUNG, OF

SYLVANIA PITTSBURGH, ER'ITSON COMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ACORPORATION PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO B. H. ROB- OF PENN- BUILIDINGCONSTRUCTION AND MEANS FOR- WIEING A BUILDING Application filed Thisinvention relates to a building construction and to a method of wiring abuilding.

In general, one object of the invention is to provide a novel andimproved building construction which may be economically erected and theconstruction of which is adapted to enable electrical service to befurnished to different desired locations in the building wit 1 a maximumflexibility, simplicity, convenience and economy.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel method of wiring abuilding for electrical service and by which the service may beeconomically furnished in a simple, eflicient, and most flexible mannerto any desired location in the building.

With these objects in view and such others as may hereinafter appear,the invention consists in the building construction, method of wiringthe building and in the various structures, arrangements andcombinations parts, hereinafter described and particularly defined inthe claims at the end of this specification.

In the drawings illustrating the preferred embodiments of the invention-Fig. 1 is a perspective of a portion of the building constructionembodying the present invention;

Fig. 2, a diagrammatic view illustrating the method of wiring forming apart of the present invention;

Fig. 3, a sectional view through one of the flooring conduits taken onthe line 33, Fig. 1;

Figs. 4.- and 5, details in side and end elevation respectively of amodified construction of flooring, aswill be described.

In the construction of modern buildings, the general practice in wiringthe building has heretofore included the installation 0 ducts under theusual concrete flooring of the building. These wiring ducts haveheretofore been made of metal and have been installed after thesupporting flooring has been formed an before the finished concreteflooring has been oured. duct system of the prior art l is has generallybeen referred to as an under- August 26, 1931.

f tain of the Serial N0. 559,425.

floor duct system. The ducts of themselves do not function as floormembers and merely serve as conduits through electric wiring may be runto provide electrical service, whether it be light, telephone, or 0thservice, at different points in the ofiices or floors throughout thebuilding. These ducts have been located at relatively wide intervalsacross the floor, as for example every four to six feet, and in someinstances at greater distances and have been in practice provided withoutlets usually in the form of short pipe sections designed to extendupwardly through the concrete floor and to receive a special fitting ifelectrical service is desired at the particular location of the outlet.It has been the practiceto locate such outlets at intervals of a fewfeet along the several ducts.

The expense of installation and the cost of such duct systems addconsiderably to the cost of the floor, and the number of such ducts isnecessarily limited by the expense involved. As a result very definitelimits are inherent in these prior under-floor duct systems in pointwithin the building, the serviceis required to more or less adapt thelocation of his desk, switchboard, or other apparatus, to the locationof the outlets at definite intervals in the spaced-apart ducts of thesystem.

In accordance with the present invention, a building construction isprovided with a flooring having a plurality of conduits an with electricconductors located in said conduits and from which electrical apparatuswithin the building may be supplied with current. The flooring ispreferably composed of a plurality of preformed units, eac including acorrugated sheet and with cerunits arranged end to end with thecorrugations in substantial alignment and forming substantiallycontinuous conduits extending from one part of the building to another.

In its preferred form, the invention is incorporated in a buildingconstruction of the type having a metal framework provided parallel sideand en with substantially panels at each of th furnished to desiredlocations within the building.

duits may and preferably will be ith at; desired locations,

ply line to a tion thereto of the individual wires located in theconduits.

eferring now to the drawings, Which as above stated 10 and horizontalsteel members usually gird- The girders 12 and form panels or openingsat each floor of the building, a portion of one of which is shown inFig. 1.

In Fig. 1, the longitudinal the side members of th cross girders 12 andt girders 12 form e panels 14, and the e intermediate beams connectingthe longitudinal girders 12 form the endmembers of the panels 14. Eachpanel lat has co-operating with it a sheet metal flooring, which iscomposed of a plurality of units capable of being fabricated in theshop, transported tothe job and laid inplace. ach floor unit comprises asheet metal upper member 18 and a corrugated sheet metal under which isspot to the under The under-sheet metal member 15) is preferablyprovided with substantially V-beam corrugations which may be of varyingdepths according to the load to be carried, and the upper sheet metalmember 18 is preferably Width as to rethe manner represented in Fig. 1

The sheet metal units when laid in place are designed to have theirsides in contact or in close proximity to one another and when thuspositioned the upper metal sheets of contiguous units may he spot weldedtogether, so as to provide the panel with a sheet metal flooring havinga unitary upper sheet metal member of substantially the area of thepanel, and having attached to its under side a plurality of independentor separate corrugated sheet metal load-supporting m cmbers which extendlengthwise of the panel for substantially the length thereofsubstantially parallel with one another.

The sheet metal members 18, 19 forming the units are in accordance withthe present invention arranged so that the corrugations of one are insubstantial alignment with the ting relation or, if the ends thereof arespaced apart, the intervening space is preferably closed by a suitableclosure member preferlieet metal and of a shape to corre spond to thecorrugations.

With this construction a plurality of conduits indicated generally at 33are provided, which extend in one direction such as lengthwise of thebuilding from one part thereof to another and which in some instancesmay extend from one side of the building to the other. These conduits33, it will are spaced a relatively and in practice may be centers.

In accordance with the present invention tie flooring having themultiplicity of conduits 33, is provided with electrical conductors inselected ones of the eond nits, and from hich conductors current may besupplied apparatus within the building. Provision is made for runningelectric wiring through some of said conduits to provide electricservice to desired locations with in the building, such for example asfloor outlets, ceiling outlets, or outlets located in the Asdiagrammatically illustrated in be observed,

.52 to be connected to volving the use 0 Fig. 2, the electrical servicetothe building may be represented by the line 37 passing through theusual meters 38 and main switchboard 39, and thence to a local circuitpanel 40 located at one of the floors of the building. From the localcircuit panel two supply lines 42, 44, which may be for the same ordifferent kinds of electrical service, are represented as being run intoa transverselyextend'ed box or conduit 46, the latter being providedwith two compartments 47, 49, each in open communication with the floorconduits, and within which the supply lines 42 and 44 respectively maybe located. The box or conduit 46 may be provided with a door 50 foraffording access to the interior of the compartments 47 49 and to enablelead lines 51, the supply lines 42, 44, respectively, as-illustrated 1nFigs.2 and 3. With the usual snake the lead lines 51, 52

floor conthrough outlets 54, 55, permitting electrical service to befurnished to any apparatus located in the vicinity of the outlets 54,55.

While for purposes of illustration 1 have illustrated in Fig. 2 twosupply lines 42, 44, it will'of course be understood sired number ofelectrical conductors may be extended through the transversely-extendedbox or conduit 46, and that any desired number of outlets may beprovided in any selected number of conduits according to the type andlocation of electrical service to be furnished. I

The outlets may be installed after the finished floor has been erected,and after the desired locations of the outlets have been determinedupon, it being merely necessary to drill down through the concreteflooring an through the top of the floor conduits.

While in Figs. 1 and 2 the corrugated metal flooring is illustrated asresting on top of the supporting I-beams, stances I may prefer tooperatively support the flooring upon angle shelves 60 such as isillustrated in Figs. 4 and stances the flooringwill preferably besuported so that the intermediate corrugations 59 of the type offlooring illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5 are positioned above the top ofthe I-beam and suitable cover members 64 may be provided to close thecorrugations 59 and the electrical conductors may be located in theconduits formed b such intermediate corrugations, as clearly illustratedin Figs. 4 and 5.

From the description thus far it will be observed that the presentbuilding construction and present method of wiring a building possessesimportant economic advantages as compared with rior art constructionsinseparate wiring ducts.

The multiplicity of conduits formed as a d with outlets that any deppart of the floor afiords maximum flexibility in wiring for any kind ofelectric service and enable electrical apparatus to be positioned andconnections to be made thereto in a most siniipk, economical andpractical manner.

ile the preferred embodiments of the invention have been hereinillustrated and described, it will be understood that the invention maybe embodied in other forms within the scope of'the following claims.

Having thus descr'bed the invention, what is claimed is:

1. In a building construction, in combination, a combination metal floorand wire distributing structure comprising a plurality of connectedhollow cells closed in cross section and forming load supporting beams,supporting means for said floor, some of said cells being positioned inalignment and forming substantially continuous unobstructed ducts andprovided intermediate the ends thereof for electrical wiring extendinginto said ducts.

2. In a building constructiomin combination, a combination metalflooring and wire distributing structure comprising a plurality ofconnected hollow cells closed in cross section and forming loadsupporting beams, supfor said floor, some of said alignment and formingsubstantially continuous unobstructed ducts, a transversely extendedconduit in open communication with a plurality of the aforesaid hollowcells, an electrical supply line extending through said transverseconduit, electrical wiring connected to said supply line and extendedthrough some of said ducts, said ducts being provided with outlets forsaid wiring at the desired locations within the building.

3. In a building construction, in combination, a framework arranged toform floor panels, a metallic flooring supported thereon, said flooringcomprising a plurality of prefabricated units, each unit having aplurality oi hollow cells .closed in cross section and forming loadsupporting b with a lurality of said units arranged end to end with aplurality of said hollow cells in alignment and forming substantiallycontinuous unobstructed ducts, some of said ducts beprovided withoutlets for electrical wiring extended into the ducts. 4. In a buildingconstruction, in combination, a combination metal floor and wiredistributing structure comprising a plurality of hollow cells closed incross section and forming load supporting beams, supporting means torsaid floor, some of said cells being positioned in alignment and formingsubstantial,- ly continuous unobstructed ducts and pro videdintermediate the ends thereof with outlets for electrical wiringextended into said ducts.

5. In a. building construction, in combinameans for the 8.Inabuil tion,a combination metal floor and wire diswise of the conduits and outwardlythrough tributing structure comprising a plurality of said outlets.

hollow cells closed in cross section and form- 6. In a buildingconstruction, in combination, a combination metal floor and wiredistributing structure comprising a plurality of wiring may be ledoutwardly from Within such cells.

continuous unobstructed such aligned side to provide the structure witha relatively ducts, some of said cells being provided with electricaloutlets, and a service conduit communicating with said cells and beingextended transversely of the units but displaced vertically withrelationthereto.

ed upon the f and comprising a multicellular metallic floor having arelatively urge number of spaced hollow cells closed in cross section,said cells forming a relatively large number of potential wiring ductsand the walls of said cells constituting load supt-he floor structurewith a relatively large number of ducts, supporting floor, some of theducts being Wiring conand through fished lengthults leading into thebuilding which electrical wiring may be In testimony whereof I havesigned my name to this specification.

JAMES HOWARD YOUNG.

